The present invention relates to digitally controlled systems for selectively metering and dispensing small measured volumes of different types of liquids from storage reservoirs, and in particular, to a multi-station programmable, digitally controlled liquor metering and dispensing system for use in restaurants and bars.
In establishments which serve alcoholic beverages, accuracy of pour size volume, inventory control and accounting, and rapid service are key factors in maintaining a profitable operation. The procedures and equipment utilized by bar operators in an effort to maintain and improve profitability must comply with various state and federal laws governing the serving of alcoholic beverages.
When drinks are served directly from bottles, the authorized pour size volume is not repeatedly achieved with accuracy even though a shot glass is often used. Sometimes less than a full measure of liquor is served either by accident or intentionally. In other cases, more than a full measure of liquor is served, also by accident or intentionally.
Restaurants and bars can also have serious problems in regard to inventory control and accounting. Full or semifull bottles of liquor may be pilfered by employees. Bartenders serve unauthorized free drinks to friends and acquaintances. While the bartender may think that the liquor served at no charge only results in a wholesale loss to the proprietor of, for example, twenty-five cents, in actuality the proprietor has lost the profit in a normal sale, which may be one dollar for example. From time to time, bartenders may ring up on the cash register less than the establishment rate for drinks. For example, bartenders may sell drinks at Happy Hour rates during times when normal rates apply.
Problems of pour size volume inaccuracy and inadequate accounting and inventory control can lead to tens of thousands of dollars of lost profit over a year's time for a typical establishment serving alcoholic beverages.
Serving mixed drinks by manually retrieving and replacing individual bottles from a shelf is inherently inefficient. In addition, it frequently leads to losses due to spillage. The pouring of common mixed cocktails in this manner requires a small shelf or well adjacent to the pouring station where space is at a premium.
In the past, numerous devices and systems have been developed in an effort to improve the efficiency and profitability of bars which serve liquor. Some of these have included pumps in which a piston is reciprocated through one cycle in order to dispense one pour size volume of liquor. In order to vary the pour size volume, the stroke of the piston must be altered through manually adjustable mechanisms. The possible range of pour size volumes attainable with this type of pump is limited.
Another type of liquor dispensing device which has been developed has utilized a pump with a pneumatically driven piston. The level of air pressure and the timing of valves is adjusted in this type of device in order to control the pour size volume. In still another prior art liquor dispensing system, the liquor is gravity fed through a system of conduits. The opening and closing of valves is timed to deliver the desired pour size volume. In recent years alcoholic beverage dispensing systems have been developed which have utilized sophisticated electronic controls.
To date, prior art liquor metering and dispensing systems and devices have not provided an overall solution to the problems of inaccuracy of pour size volume, inadequate accounting and inventory control, dispensing speed and reliability to the degree necessary to insure an efficient and profitable bar operation. Specifically, prior systems and devices have generally had a limited range of pour size volume, for example one-half ounce to one and one-half ounces. In addition, prior art systems and devices have not lended themselves to quick changes in the pour size volume. For example, heretofore it has not been easy to readjust in order to serve single ounces of liquor during regular bar hours and double shots during Happy Hour.
The pour size volume accuracy of prior liquor metering and dispensing systems and devices has not been high. This has been attributable to a number of causes depending upon the particular system or device. For example, in prior liquor dispensing systems in which a single pour size volume has been dispensed through a single reciprocation of a piston, slight inaccuracies in the piston stroke adjustment mechanism may result in slightly more or less than the desired pour size volume being dispensed. In other prior systems, the misadjustment of metering screws in valves can cause inaccuracies in the pour size volume. Finally, in those prior art systems and devices which have utilized air pressure to deliver the liquid, fluctuations in the pressure and in the opening and closing times of valves can lead to pour size volume inaccuracies.
It can be readily understood that if a bartender pours only a few drops over the measured ounce of liquor to which a patron is entitled each time the bartender makes a drink, this slight overpour multiplied by thousands of times over a year can lead to a significant loss of profit to a restaurant or bar. The pour size volume accuracy problem has sometimes been compounded in those prior systems and devices which have had the capabilitty for varying the pour size volumes from, for example from one ounce to two ounces. Back and forth adjustments between single and double shot size drinks can introduce pour size volume inaccuracies which were not in a system or device when originally calibrated by the manufacturer.
Prior liquor metering and dispensing systems and devices have not been totally satisfactory in terms of inventory control and accounting. It would be desirable to call up at anytime information regarding liquor dispensed at any one of a number of multiple pouring stations. To be most helpful, this information should include a breakdown as to the number of drinks poured, the pour size volume of each drink, and the type of liquor. This data could be periodically compared with the total number of empty liquor bottles to prevent pilferage and the serving of free drinks. In addition, it would be desirable to be able to call up dollar sales totals with regard to drinks dispensed during a given time interval. Furthermore, it would be desirable to interface the liquor dispensing system with a cash register so that the ringing up of individual drinks would be expedited.
Prior liquor metering and dispensing systems and devices have sometimes been too simple in construction to enable them to fully meet the requirements for pour size volume accuracy, inventory control and accounting, and flexibility. In other cases, the prior art systems have been so complex as to be subject to repeated failures. It would therefore be desirable to provide a liquor dispensing system which would greatly enhance the profitability of a bar while being highly reliable and easily serviced.